Intro from an old Assembly Plant guy

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Skirkpat

WOW, Lake City Ammo plant, I live by that....It is hard to immagine them letting you smoke there!! LOL

By the way, Do you know Leroy Smith, he worked at GM......



Just kidding...

Thanks for the welcome.

Actually, I've had this happen:

I met a lady at church and we were visiting and she said, casually "oh, my brother in law works for GM".

I said "Really? Where's he work?".

She said "oh, he's with the truck group somewhere..."

I said "Really?, where abouts?"

She said "um, I think he's an engineer on the GMT800 program".

I said "Really?!, where abouts?!!"

"Um, I think he's down in Troy somewhere...."

I said "Really?!, what part is he the engineer on?"

"Um, I think he has the doors, or the body or something".

I said "REALLY?! WHAT'S HIS NAME?!"

"Walt C", she says....

WALT! I KNOW WALT! GEEZ!! I'VE KNOWN WALT FOR 25 YEARS!!



Small world....

K

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Skirkpat

Lots of great stories, if people knew how we built them, the big three would be brok..........never mind...

You just reminded me of a story...

Maybe you guys didn't do this, but up at Flint we would "fit" hoods and fenders with a big hammer and a big stick.

If the fenders were "inboard" relative to the doors, rather than undoing the lower bolts and adding additional shims at the anchor locations the fitters would open the door and stick a big 2x4 in behind the fender and "ERRKKK" reef on that baby to bend the fenders out.

Similarly, if the hood-to-fender gap was tight at the front, they'd pop the hood and whack the nose of the fender (out) with a big rubber mallet. At that point, I know we'd been using the same technique since at least 1960, since I knew the guy that used to fit the 1960 pickup hoods....

But, you're right. We probably shouldn't mention it.

K

[Skirkpat]

Stick a large padded stick, and "SLAM" the hood, or door, or whatever was "out" , yes, we built them like they were for someone else The first time I saw a guy "fit" a door, I cringed, and thought Sh*# , that guy's going to get fired for that!! Little did I know, that was Standard Operating Procedure. They are artists in there, it takes a while to appreciate the scope of their talent, but it amazed me every day to see that animal fire up and spit new cars out the end. Controled Madness. After working on the Engineering side it really boggles my mind. Truly amazing.

I still laugh when people say they do not EARN their money. The Supervision side wass the tough side. Toughest SOB's in the plant were line Supervisors, I am sure GM was no different.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Skirkpat

I still laugh when people say they do not EARN their money. The Supervision side wass the tough side. Toughest SOB's in the plant were line Supervisors, I am sure GM was no different.

Man, I was just a kid. I used to cry before I'd go to work...

Didn't take them long to toughen me up!

K

[Jonboy]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

You just reminded me of a story...

Maybe you guys didn't do this, but up at Flint we would "fit" hoods and fenders with a big hammer and a big stick.

If the fenders were "inboard" relative to the doors, rather than undoing the lower bolts and adding additional shims at the anchor locations the fitters would open the door and stick a big 2x4 in behind the fender and "ERRKKK" reef on that baby to bend the fenders out.

Similarly, if the hood-to-fender gap was tight at the front, they'd pop the hood and whack the nose of the fender (out) with a big rubber mallet. At that point, I know we'd been using the same technique since at least 1960, since I knew the guy that used to fit the 1960 pickup hoods....

But, you're right. We probably shouldn't mention it.

K

That's similar to how they get fixed in the field, too. nice to know where that factory training comes from.

[Keith Seymore]

Back to 'lil Red: here's what the tire/wheel assemblies will look like when done. One down, four to go:





I realize those are not the exactly correct trim rings but I picked them up for cheap at a local swap meet. I figured they were good enough for a daily driver.

K

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

You just reminded me of a story...

Maybe you guys didn't do this, but up at Flint we would "fit" hoods and fenders with a big hammer and a big stick.

If the fenders were "inboard" relative to the doors, rather than undoing the lower bolts and adding additional shims at the anchor locations the fitters would open the door and stick a big 2x4 in behind the fender and "ERRKKK" reef on that baby to bend the fenders out.

Similarly, if the hood-to-fender gap was tight at the front, they'd pop the hood and whack the nose of the fender (out) with a big rubber mallet. At that point, I know we'd been using the same technique since at least 1960, since I knew the guy that used to fit the 1960 pickup hoods....

But, you're right. We probably shouldn't mention it.

K

I thought of another one we shouldn't mention:

The wheel opening moldings are designated by RPO (regular production option) B96.

Sometimes, when installing the moldings, the screws would hit torque but not be fully seated. Rather than grabbing a screwdriver and torquing the screws home my line side repairmen would grab a big hammer and WHAM 'em once so they appeared seated.

This led to us calling the fasteners themselves "B96 nails"...

K

[72BlckButy]

Welcome to the board Keith. Your knowledge and expertise will definitely be utalized on this board.

Glad to have you hear!

[boatpuller]

hold on to those 22 shells.they are hard to buy right now.

[Keith Seymore]

Guys-

You had asked about assembly video footage: Although these are for Pontiac passenger cars (1971 model year), the assembly techniques shown here are very similar to how our trucks were built or even vehicles built today, for that matter.

K

Links to "Pontiac Pours it on for 1971" Youtube videos (segments 1 - 9)

1971.1:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.1

1971.2:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.2

1971.3:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.3

1971.4:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.4

1971.5:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.5

1971.6:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.6

1971.7:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.7

1971.8:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.8

1971.9:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.9

Some things that caught my eye (based on my own experiences):

In segment 7 (at the 2:20 mark) , you can see the brake evacuation and fill operation. Brakes are then pressure tested and you can see the inspector writing on the repair ticket and placing it in the machine where it is stamped, showing its approval. I ran this corresponding area, as a student, at the truck plant for several months (...went through a lot of penny loafers because of the brake fluid...). I am reminded that if the ticket was rolled up and placed in the coils of the brake lines that would indicate a repair or a retest was required. The line would occasionally be stopped at this location (...very rarely...) if a few more precious seconds were required to complete the repair or retest.

To discuss the "evac and fill" operation for just a second: this machine was a big "vacuum pump" and actually sucked all the air out of the completed brake system. Brake fluid was then allowed to flow into the system, using the pulled vacuum as the driver. Brakes were not bled as a matter of course; only as a repair procedure. The system was then tested by placing a unit on the back of the master cylinder which then applied brake pressure. Leaks or soft brakes could be detected and if, after a certain time period, no problems were noted then the green light would come on and the ticket stamped that the brakes were OK.

Segment 7 also shows some nice shots of the build manifest (build sheet) in use on the trim line [and is a nice contrast between the build sheet and the inspection ticket, as shown above], and the "wheel lug multiple" on the chassis line (all 5 wheel lug nuts are tightened at the same time).

The other area I ran, as my first "real" job after graduating, was the Fender Set area, as shown from 1:34 - 1:45 and as discussed in my first post on this thread.

You can also see the inspectors writing and buying off on the work tickets at the end of the trim line and at the end of the final line in segments 8 and 9.

I am also reminded of the guy that used to install the tire/wheel assemblies in the St Louis plant. He was a relatively small man with a big handlebar moustache. When he knew people were watching, particularly visitors, he would start to show off a bit by bouncing the tires down off the conveyor and rebounding them back up onto the wheel hub. If he was feeling particularly sassy, he would bounce them such that they would flip end-over-end before landing on the hub or, on rare occasions bounce them behind his back to install them. The moral of the story, which stays with me to this day: "...always keep your eye on anybody with a handlebar moustache".

FYI -

K

[Keith Seymore]

Wow. That's cool; I didn't know it would put the videos right in the thread...

[AceX]

This is awesome! Now I have someone's brain to pick with connections @ GM! This rocks!

Oh yeah, welcome to the board. You oversaw the production (or at least part of it) of my own truck.

[87Bob]

Hey Keith do you have any of the old assembly manuals laying around?

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by 87Bob

Hey Keith do you have any of the old assembly manuals laying around?

Bob -

I'm sorry - I just realized I never answered your post!

No - I don't. We used to throw them away when we were done.

They were kept in multiple three ring binders (probably a dozen or so) divided up by UPC: so one book for 0 - 1A2L; one book for 1A2K - UPC 2; one for 3 - 6; one for 7 - 11 and one for 12 - 14 or whatever. The groups were divided up by those little manila dividers with tabs on them; every week or so we'd get a batch of updates and you'd put the new page in and pull the old page out and throw it away.

At the end of the model year we'd throw away the set and start with the new sheets.

I wish now I'd kept 'em. I believe they are available for some model year trucks, and I know they are available for some Chevy passenger car models and Buicks. (None for my beloved Pontiacs that I am aware of).

K

[Keith Seymore]

Rolled over 180,000 miles this weekend...



...at least I *think* that's right. Seems like it had more than 80,000 when I sold it to my Father-in-law, and I can't imagine he drove it enough for it to be 280,000 miles.

So - we're callin' it 180,000.

I'll check back in at 200,000

K

[JohnC]

Congrats on the milestone!!

[rare86]

I just got through reading this. Awesome information and tips. I also say Im envious of you in regaurds to where you worked.Now, if I can just find someone who worked for CVI in Arlington during the same time frame, Id be happier than a fat girl eating cake. Thanks for all the info. The truck is beautiful.

[3r!c84]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Rolled over 180,000 miles this weekend...



...at least I *think* that's right. Seems like it had more than 80,000 when I sold it to my Father-in-law, and I can't imagine he drove it enough for it to be 280,000 miles.

So - we're callin' it 180,000.

I'll check back in at 200,000

K

"180,000.2" ahahaha

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by 3r!c84

"180,000.2" ahahaha

Yah - it took me 2 tenths of a mile to get a decent photo...

[Captkaos]

Keith,
What is the issue with the floormat?

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Captkaos

Keith,
What is the issue with the floormat?

I'll shoot you a PM -

K

[Captkaos]

PM or email me at webmaster@ 73-87chevytrucks.com

[tvblazer78]

This is very cool. Thanks for taking the time to post this.

[menace121978]

keith, congratulations on making it man. i cant even think of words that would describe how i feel after reading this. just another reason "i"(need to get my wife to read this) will never own/buy an import. the big 3 are a huge piece of american history. i love your stories. and the best of luck to you and your family. Dennis

[dan76]

Keith:

Thanks for sharing your experiences with GM. Keep sharing your updates on the shortbed.